Abstracts Posters SICOT-SOF meeting Gothenburg 2010 _2_

Poster
Topic: General Orthopaedics
Abstract number: 25488
THE COURSE OF PAIN, DISABILITY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THE FIRST
WEEK AFTER THE ONSET OF SEVERE ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN
Tommy HANSSON, Patricia OLAYA-CONTRERAS (MSC), Allison KAIGLE HOLM,
Jorma STYF
Department of Orthopaedics, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University
Hospital, Gothenburg (SWEDEN)
Episodes of acute low back pain (LBP) are extremely common. Staying active in
spite of the pain has been regarded as the most appropriate treatment
recommendation. The objective of this study was to evaluate if this stay active in
spite of the pain advice was more effective in helping to reduce pain and disability
than the advice adjust your activity according to the pain in subjects with severe
acute LBP. Methods: One hundred-and-nine employed subjects with severe acute
LBP were recruited consecutively and examined within 48 hours of debut. They were
randomly given one of the two treatment recommendations, i.e. stay active in spite of
the pain or adjust your activity according to the pain and then followed for 1 week
using the following measures: Disability Rating Index, pain intensity, and step count
(pedometer). Results: At baseline, there were no differences between the groups
with regard to cause of pain, occupation, pain intensity, disability, quality of life or fear
of movement. The acute LBP onset occurred at work in 31% of the subjects and 34%
of all the subjects had no explanation for the LBP. Disability and pain intensity
decreased rapidly and at similar rates (p< 0.001) in both groups. The stay active
group had a greater step count across time. Conclusion: The treatment
recommendations stay active in spite of pain or adjust your activity according to the
pain did not have different effects on the first-week course of acute LBP with regard
to pain reduction or disability.
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